SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–We have another big week on tap for the eighth week of the 2010 GMC Gridiron season. Action begins on Friday night around the GMC. There are 13 games on tap this week, and 10 of them are GMC divisional games, and there’s three crossovers with the Shore Conference. Nine games are on Friday night, and four games are on Saturday afternoon. So, let’s take a look at the matchups on Saturday.
Here is a brief breakdown of the Saturday afternoon matchups:
New Brunswick (0-7) at Colonia (3-3)–The Patriots are at home, and are in the hunt for a berth in the North Jersey Section 2 Group III playoffs. The Zebras are still searching for their first win of the season. Colonia defeated South Plainfield last week (28-18), and the Tigers got their only win of the season at NBHS (7-6). The Pats also defeated Kennedy (20-6), which shut out the Zebras last week (21-0). CHS is averaging 20 points per game, but has given up nearly 22 per contest. New Brunswick has given up less, but has not been able to score. This is the first season since 2000 that the Zebras will not be in the state playoffs. Colonia is looking to qualify for the playoffs for the 14th time ever, and for the first time since 2007. J.T. Kotowski leads the Patriots at quarterback with C.J. Gray and Geoff Fairbanks targets at receiver. Greg Jones leads the rushing game for Colonia while Damien Weaver and Shadrach Ford do the honors for New Brunswick. Meschrach Ford leads the tough New Brunswick defense. Prediction: Colonia wins, 21-7.
J.F. Kennedy (4-3) at North Brunswick (5-1)–The Raiders have a shot to win the GMC White crown. With victories over Kennedy on Saturday and South Plainfield next Friday, coupled with a loss by the Trojans at Amboy on Friday night, NBTHS would get division honors. North Brunswick is at home, where they are 3-0, and they are flying high thanks to a 28-0 shutout of BGA on the road in North Edison a week ago. The Mustangs come into this game with two shutouts in their last three games, and have a chance to lock up a decent seed in the North Jersey Section 2 Group III playoffs in two weeks. JFK is actually better on the road (2-1) than it is at home (2-2). Both teams are stingy on defense with NBTHS giving up a bit more than 13 points per game while Kennedy has yielded a bit more than 14 points per contest. The difference here is North Brunswick’s offense is more dynamic with Ross Kurtz at running back (133 yards per game) and Tait Pirkle at quarterback (159 yards per game). Karim Sawyer is a big weapon for Pirkle scoring an average of 9 points per game. Mark Weber leads JFK in rushing with 90 yards per contest. Look for Pirkle’s ability at quarterback to make a huge difference here. Prediction: North Brunswick wins, 35-14.
South River (4-3) at Asbury Park (4-2)–Since starting the season at 4-0, South River has lost three straight including an upset loss at home to previously winless Metuchen last Saturday. In the last three games, the Rams have been outscored by a total of 102-27. Both of these teams beat Highland Park with the Blue Bishops winning at home on opening weekend (34-12) and South River winning the following week (21-20). The Rams can put points on the board, but have given up a lot on defense (27.0 ppg). Despite a record over .500, South River has been outscored by an average of nearly a touchdown per game. Asbury Park is coming off a bye week after being beaten at home by Keyport/Henry Hudson two weeks ago (26-7). The Bishops are 1-2 at home while South River is (3-1) at home. The Rams are 0-1 against the Shore Conference while Asbury is 1-0 against the GMC. The Rams should still be in the running for a state tourney slot, and with a game against Keansburg next week, they should be able to limp in. Prediction: Asbury Park wins 34-14.
Spotswood (5-2) at Keyport/Henry Hudson (5-2)–The Chargers defeated Cardinal McCarrick last week by a score of 34-18 to equal its winning total from last year. A victory here would surpass it. The Chargers are also in the hunt for a berth in the Central Jersey Group II State Tournament. Meanwhile, Keyport is smarting after losing at Carteret last week (31-28). The Red Raiders are 1-1 against the GMC while Spotswood is 1-0 against the Shore. Both teams played and defeated Mater Dei and Metuchen this season. The Chargers defeated the Seraphs (35-0) and the Bulldogs (21-0) while the Raiders defeated MD (41-0) and MHS (48-21). Keyport is 3-0 at home while Spotswood is 3-1 on the road with that lone loss coming at Columbia Park against Dunellen (39-19). The Chargers have scored an average of 24 points per game while giving up just under 13. Keyport has averaged 39 points per contest, and yielded 14 per game. The Raiders can be scored upon though as Metuchen and Carteret have proven. Spotswood has played opponents with a combined record of 20-26 while Keyport’s foes are a combined 17-28. Keyport has outscored GMC foes 79-49 this season. Spotswood will score, but Keyport will win. Prediction: Keyport wins 35-24.
Last week’s record 8-3
This season’s record 71-20
Last year’s record 102-32
All time record 188-63